Department for Transport

East-West Rail Link

lord rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what role they have in the decision making process for determining which of the proposed routes for the new Oxford to Cambridge Arc railway line should be the final route; and whether they will have a role in determining if the final route will pass through the Wimpole Hall Estate.

baroness vere of norbiton: The decision will be made by Secretary of State for Transport. It will then be subject to the usual cross-government clearance processes.

A417: Gloucestershire

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect highway improvements to the Air Balloon roundabout in Gloucestershire will be completed.

baroness vere of norbiton: The A417 missing link between Brockworth and Cowley is an important project to improve safety and air quality and ease congestion in the area. Highways England announced a preferred route for the scheme in March 2019 and is now preparing for statutory consultation later this year ahead of a Development Consent Order planning application. Delivery of this project is subject to confirmation of funding within the second Road Investment Strategy, which will cover the period 2020 to 2025, due to be published later this year.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Solar Power

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are undertaking research to enable (1) vehicles to carry integral solar panels for charging their batteries, and (2) flat glass windows and doors on high rise buildings to capture solar energy.

lord duncan of springbank: The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has awarded over £300m in grants via Innovate UK into ultra-low emission technologies. Although no project is currently exploring solar panelled vehicles we would, of course, continue to welcome proposals related to this area in relevant future competitions and are aware the industry is already exploring this technology. HM Government has funded development of novel photovoltaics for applying on windows and doors. For example, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has provided £1m to Swansea University, the University of Glasgow, and Science & Technology Facilities Council Laboratories for research into thin film solid state dye-sensitized solar cells on glass. BEIS’s Energy Entrepreneur Fund and UKRI have funded research on perovskite solar cells for windows at Oxford Photovoltaics, Nyak Technology Ltd & Centre for Process Innovation Ltd. UKRI are investing £36m in the Active Building research centre in Wales, which investigates building integrated solar energy conversion.

Space Technology: Regulation

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken, or intend to take, to work with international partners to develop an effective legal environment to regulate activity in space, in view of the rapid expansion in space innovation, exploration and investment.

lord duncan of springbank: The UK is an active participant at the UN’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which oversees implementation of the UN treaties and conventions that form international space law and are the basis of the United Kingdom’s domestic legislation and regulatory regime. The Space Industry Act 2018, under which we are currently developing secondary legislation and regulatory guidance, requires the regulator to take account of international obligations. We are engaging with a wide range of international partners in this process.

Carers: Leave

baroness pitkeathley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to launch the consultation on care leave for employees who are also providing unpaid care for ill or disabled family members or friends.

lord duncan of springbank: The Government recognises the challenges of balancing work and care. Improving support for carers to do so is a key part of the action plan that the Government published in June 2018. We continue to work with colleagues across Government to consider the question of dedicated employment rights for carers alongside existing employment rights (such as the right to request flexible working and the right to time off for family and dependants).

Energy: Housing

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address thereduction in energy efficient upgrades to domestic housing since 2014.

lord duncan of springbank: The Clean Growth Strategy set out the aspiration that as many homes as possible will be EPC Band C by 2035 where practical, cost-effective and affordable. The current iteration of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO3) will upgrade around a million homes for low income and vulnerable households by March 2022, and we have committed to driving £6 billion into energy efficiency. In April 2018, we introduced for the first time a minimum energy efficiency standard of EPC Bane E for private rented sector properties. And, we have launched Simple Energy Advice, a new digital and phoneline service to provide homeowners with impartial and tailored advice on how to cut their energy bills and make their homes greener, as well as information on any available financial support.

Energy: Housing

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their target for the number of energy efficiency upgrades of UK domestic properties in each of the next three years; and how achievement of those targets will be measured.

lord duncan of springbank: We estimate that over 1.2 million energy efficiency measures will be installed in the homes of low income and vulnerable people in Great Britain from December 2018 to March 2022 under the current iteration of the Energy Company Obligation, ECO3. There is no target for the number of installations or properties treated, rather the target is set in notional lifetime bill savings. Further information can be found in the impact assessment online, but also attached.As a result of the Private Rented Sector Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard we estimate that nearly 900,000 measures will be installed in EPC rated F&G properties in 2020.Further information can be found in the impact assessment online, but also attached.



ECO3 Final Stage Impact Assessment
(PDF Document, 1.63 MB)




IA - Energy Efficiency, Private Rented Property
(PDF Document, 973.95 KB)

Energy: Housing

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the contribution energy efficiency in properties can make to meeting the UK’s climate reduction targets.

lord duncan of springbank: Improving the energy efficiency of domestic properties, commercial buildings and public sector buildings is vital for meeting the UK’s carbon reduction targets. Homes in the UK represent 15% of carbon emissions and meeting the net zero target is likely to require largely eliminating emissions from our housing stock. That is why we set out our aspiration in the Clean Growth Strategy that all homes should be EPC Band C by 2035. However reducing demand for energy will not be enough on its own, and by 2050 we will also likely need to fully decarbonise how we heat our homes. For businesses and industry, we set an ambition in the Clean Growth Strategy to reduce their energy usage by improving energy efficiency by at least 20% by 2030. This will deliver 22MtCO2e towards the fifth Carbon Budget. For public sector buildings, the Clean Growth Strategy states non-traded emissions (primarily from heating) should fall by around 50% by 2032, compared to 2017. We estimate that around half of this reduction will be met through energy efficiency and half from decarbonising heat supply. As with homes, it is likely that greenhouse gas emissions from non-domestic buildings will need to be largely eliminated by 2050 to meet the net zero target.

Housing: Insulation

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a national fund to help low income, vulnerable and fuel poor households insulate their homes.

lord duncan of springbank: We agree that increasing the energy efficiency of homes is the most sustainable long-term strategy to tackle fuel poverty. That is why we have committed to driving £6 billion of investment in energy efficiency over the decade. Support for energy efficiency is available now through the Energy Company Obligation scheme, which requires energy companies to deliver heating and energy efficiency measures such as cavity wall insulation. The updated scheme, launched in late 2018 and running until March 2022, focuses entirely on providing support to low income, vulnerable and fuel poor households and is funded at £640m per year. We have also introduced, from 1 April 2018, Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards which require landlords to invest up to £3,500 in energy efficiency improvements such as insulation to improve their rented properties to Energy Performance Certificate rating Band E. We are consulting on an update to the Fuel Poverty Strategy for England. In this consultation, we seek views from stakeholders on what policies might be included in a policy plan to improve energy efficiency for households in fuel poverty.

Biotechnology

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help increase growth in the UK biotechnology sector after Brexit.

lord duncan of springbank: Data published by the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) and Informa Pharma Intelligence in January 2019 showed that a record £2.2bn was raised by UK-based biotech companies in 2018, compared to £1.2bn in 2017. The Government is committed to supporting the continued success of the UK’s knowledge intensive sectors, including the biotechnology. The first and second Life Sciences Sector Deals have reiterated the Government’s commitment to unlock over £20 billion of patient capital investment over 10 years and increase the UK’s R&D spend to reach 2.4% of GDP by 2027. In addition to this, our recent UK Bioeconomy Strategy sets out a framework for how government, industry and academia can work together to capitalise on our world class research, development and innovation base to grow the bioeconomy. Applying our expertise in bioscience and biotechnology across multiple industry sectors can achieve clean growth and deliver real, measurable benefits for the UK economy.

Research: Finance

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Henley on 23 July (HL17211),which government department will take the lead in developing the Roadmap referenced following the Spending Review.

lord duncan of springbank: Government alone cannot deliver the 2.4% target. The Department is working with UKRI and other key partners to develop a roadmap that sets out how government and industry will work together to achieve this ambition.

Research: Finance

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 23 July (HL17210), whether they intend that two thirds of the investment in research and development, intended to reach 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, should come from private sources as announced by Chris Skidmore MP on 10 July.

lord duncan of springbank: Reaching the 2.4% ambition will require concerted effort both for government and for business. Since 2010, businesses and overseas investors have been responsible for an average of two thirds of gross investment in R&D. The Department is working with UKRI and other key partners to stimulate private investment in R&D, harness the latest trends in innovation and make the UK a great place to grow an innovative business.

Natural Gas: Rural Areas

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of rural communities that are not connected to the gas supply network.

lord duncan of springbank: There is no definitive source for the number of households that are not connected to the gas supply network; BEIS estimates these figures by subtracting the number of domestic gas meters from the estimated number of households. The table below shows the latest estimates of households not connected to the gas network by country of the UK. These estimates are also published down to GB local authority level within BEIS’ ‘Sub-national estimates of households not connected to the gas network’ dataset, most recently published in 2018. NationNumber of households1Estimated number of households not connected to the gas network1%England23,229,0003,024,00013%Scotland2,452,000495,00020%Wales1,342,000225,00017%Northern Ireland730,0002497,000368%Total27,753,0004,241,00015%Source: (1) Sub-national estimates of households not connected to the gas network, BEIS, updated 2018, except for NI see footnote 3; (2) Live tables on household projections, United Kingdom, 1961-2039, MHCLG 2016 estimate; (3) Transparency Reports 2017, NI Utility Regulator

Satellites: Grants

lord moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK Space Agency grants for horizontal launch applications for small satellite launch programmes have been made; and what plans they have, if any, to provide additional grants for such programmes in the future.

lord duncan of springbank: On 4 June 2019, the UK Space Agency announced its intention to award up to £7.85 million, subject to business case, to Spaceport Cornwall and US operator Virgin Orbit to develop facilities and operational capabilities that would enable small satellite launch from Cornwall in the early 2020s. In May 2019, the UK Space Agency also opened a £2 million Horizontal Spaceport Development Fund to assist future horizontal spaceports with their plans for small satellite launch and sub-orbital flight. The deadline for applications closed on 17 July, and the UK Space Agency is currently reviewing submitted proposals. Grant awards will be announced in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Tankers

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to de-escalate tensions with Iran, further to fears of retaliation over the seizure of the Iranian tanker Grace 1 by the Royal Navynear Gibraltar on 4 July, and in view of the speech made by the Iranian Defence Minister on 8 July, in which he called the seizure a "threatening and incorrect action" and said that Iran "will certainly not tolerate this type of maritime piracy and it will not be left without a response".

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Since 4th July, the UK has made strenuous efforts to support the resolution of the Grace 1 issue, which remains subject to a legal process in Gibraltar. The former Foreign Secretary spoke to the Iranian Foreign Minister on 17 July with the aim of encouraging de-escalation. However, instead of responding constructively, Iran chose to seize the Stena Impero. The former Foreign Secretary made a statement to the House on 22 July, outlining actions the UK government is taking in response.We are clear that under international law, Iran had no right to obstruct Stena Impero, let alone board her. This incident was a breach of the principle of free navigation on which the global trading system and the world economy ultimately depend. We urge Iran to release the Stena Impero and her crew.

Syria: Bombings

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of who is responsible for the recent car bombing near the Syriac Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in Qamishliin North East Syria.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Daesh has claimed responsibility for the attack near the Syriac Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in Qamishli in north-east Syria on 11 July. As the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, I strongly condemn this and all attacks on places of worship.

Libya: Politics and Government

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on resolving the crisis in Libya; and what assessment they have made of whether that policy is consistent with the EU's approach towards that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK remains deeply concerned about the situation in Libya. We are working closely with our international partners, including the other member states of the EU, to support UN-led efforts to secure an end to the fighting and a return to a UN-led political process. Our close work with the international community, including our EU partners, to achieve these ends was demonstrated by a UN Security Council press statement of 5 July, a P3+3 (UK, US, France, Italy, Egypt and UAE) statement of 16 July, and EU statements of 12 April and 5 July.

Syria: Military Intervention

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 10 July (HL16789), what assessment they have made of reports that attacks on unarmed Syrian barges occurred; and whether any British Armed Forces personnel participated in the chain of command involved in authorising and executing any such attacks.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have not seen any evidence, and are unaware, of such attacks on unarmed Syrian barges.

Yemen: Demilitarized and Neutral Zones

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to make progress on the UN-brokered Stockholm Agreement to demilitarise the Yemeni port city of Hodeida, in order to enable the start of lasting peace talks.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Implementing the Hodeidah Agreement remains a critical step towards the broader peace process. We have welcomed Houthi redeployments as a crucial first step in the plan to implement the Hodeidah Agreement as well as the parties’ agreement on the Concept of Operations for Phase 1 and 2 of the mutual redeployments. Further UN-led negotiations between the parties are needed to agree local security force arrangements before redeployment can take place and we encourage all parties to continue to constructively engage with the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and General Lollesgaard on this matter. Implementation of the Hodeidah Agreement is part of critical step moving towards the broader peace process. British officials are also in regular contact with key Yemeni and regional figures in support of UN efforts. We also continue to warn that any renewed military activity in Hodeidah would be catastrophic for Yemen, potentially pushing millions into famine.

Nepal: Visits Abroad

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any serving Prime Minister of the UK has visited Nepal; what plans the Prime Minister has, if any, to visit that country; and, if there are no such plans, why not.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The United Kingdom and Nepal are long time partners. The two countries have enjoyed diplomatic relations for over 200 years, by far the longest formal relationship Nepal has with any country. Today the relationship is broad, vibrant and diverse and marked by mutual respect. Although no serving British Prime Minister has visited Nepal, the governments enjoy frequent Ministerial visits in both directions. The Government was delighted to welcome Prime Minister Oli of Nepal to London in June; his visit included a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister May, an audience with His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, and a dinner at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. At this early stage, the Prime Minister’s travel plans are yet to be confirmed.​

Department for Education

Students

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their justification for backing a scheme to ask students (1) how often they should change their sheets, and (2) how to cook a meal; and whether they have an official policy on the frequency with which sheets should be changed; and if so, what it is.

lord agnew of oulton: The Leap Core Skills workshops were announced by the former Secretary of State for Education (Damian Hinds), my right hon. Friend, for East Hampshire on 10 July. They have been developed by student accommodation provider Unite Students, who will offer schools and colleges the workshop resources for teaching Years 12 and 13 pupils about independent living, managing personal finances, developing and maintaining relationships and also how and where to access support, should they go to university. The sessions have no focus on cooking or changing bedsheets, and government has no official policy in these areas.Data show that 7.6% of entrants to full-time first degrees in England in 2016/17 did not continue with their studies in the following year. Our priority is to reduce the proportion of undergraduates who discontinue their studies for whatever reason. Providing the right pastoral care will contribute to this.The Leap Skills workshops are being promoted to schools and colleges through the Education Transitions Network created by the former Secretary of State for Education (Damian Hinds), my right hon. Friend, for East Hampshire, to look at how students moving from sixth-form or college to university can be better supported in their crucial first year.

Teachers: Pay

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement byLord Agnew of Oulton on 22 July (HLWS1746), what proportion of the additional cost of the School Teachers' Review Body's recommendation for a 2.75 per cent uplift in all pay ranges and allowances will be met by the Government.

lord agnew of oulton: In January the department published the schools cost technical note, alongside our written evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body. In that we demonstrated that, nationally, a 2% pay increase for teachers is affordable in 2019-20.The recommended award of 2.75% is therefore 0.75% over that assessment. In recognition of the difference between this award, and the 2% we have assessed schools can afford, we are providing an additional £105 million of funding for schools this year. This is on top of the £321 million the department is already providing this year through the Teachers’ Pay Grant to cover the ongoing cost of the 2018 pay award.

Grammar Schools

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration is given to the effect on the intake of comprehensive secondary schools in the proximity of grammar schools which have successfully applied for satellite expansion under the Selective School Expansion Fund.

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the full bids of successful applications to the Selective School Expansion Fund; and if not, why not.

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what safeguards are in place to prevent selective schools and their local authorities increasing the proportion of pupils passing the 11-plus test by lowering the pass mark in order to increase the numbers of pupils meeting the admission criteria for selective state schools.

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what safeguards are in place to ensure that pupils born in the summer are not disadvantaged in the 11-plus tests for entry to selective state schools.

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the progress rates of pupils in non-selective secondary schools in Buckinghamshire, Kent and Lincolnshire compared to pupils in selective schools in those areas; and what assessment they have made of that data.

lord agnew of oulton: The department can confirm that none of the 16 successful applications to the Selective Schools Expansion Fund (SSEF), announced 3 December 2018, applied for a satellite expansion. As we have done for the bids that were successful in round one, we will publish the Fair Access and Partnership Plans for schools that were successful in round two. The department does not intend to publish full SSEF bids as they contain commercially sensitive information. Admission authorities for grammar schools are responsible for setting their selection tests, including determining the pass threshold. The department wants more pupils to be able to attend Good and Outstanding schools, and 98% of grammar schools are Good or Outstanding schools. Where the pass mark is determined by the admission authority to be a disproportionate barrier for entry for disadvantaged pupils in comparison to their non-disadvantaged peers, it could be considered appropriate to set a lower test pass mark for children eligible for pupil premium funding. Equally, grammar school admission authorities may raise their pass mark if they consider this appropriate. The admission authority would have to consider the impact of the changes on the allocation of places and their stated pupil admissions number. The School Admissions Code requires all admission arrangements to be fair. A selection test is part of a school’s admission arrangements. The majority of schools who select on academic ability or aptitude age weight the results of their selection test. Where a selective school who admits on academic ability or aptitude does not age weight test results and a parent considers this unfair, they may raise an objection to the schools adjudicator, who has previously issued determinations on this particular issue. The progress 8 scores for all individual secondary schools, including non-selective schools, are available online at the department’s Find and Compare schools website. The department also publishes data on pupil progress 8 scores in non-selective schools in all highly selective areas in “Key stage 4 and multi-academy trust performance 2018 (revised)”[1]: Selective and non-selective school performance data (of which one component is Progress 8 scores) is analysed by the department as part of ongoing consideration of school performance across the country.   [1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/806276/2018_Revised_National_tables.xlsx.

Pupils: Exercise

baroness sater: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increasing the amount of physical exercise delivered by schools each day from 30 to 60 minutes.

lord agnew of oulton: The UK Chief Medical Officers’ published guidelines in 2011 which recommended that children and young people aged 5-18 should do a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity per day. It is up to schools to decide what opportunities to offer to pupils to be active, including through a diverse and challenging physical exercise (PE) curriculum that suits the needs of all their pupils. Under the Childhood Obesity Plan the government set an expectation that at least 30 minutes should be delivered in school every day through active break times, PE, extra-curricular clubs, active lessons, or other sport and physical activity events. The government restated this expectation in the School Sport and Activity Action Plan published earlier this month. A link to the Plan is attached here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-sport-and-activity-action-plan.Through the action set out in the plan, the government will support schools to offer high quality PE and activity opportunities and take steps to increase the opportunities outside of school. As part of the plan, the government has committed to raising awareness of the appropriate levels of physical activity for children and young people, to align with updated Chief Medical Officers’ guidance on physical activity which is due in September 2019. The department will shortly be issuing procurement guidelines on the purchase and installation of multi-use games areas (MUGAs) for schools. MUGAs provide an excellent opportunity to enhance sports facilities for all schools, particularly those with limited outside space. They can be used all year round, increasing the ability of schools to help ensure as much sporting provision as possible. 



HL17541_action_plan
(PDF Document, 358.99 KB)

Ministry of Justice

Parole

lord ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what data prisons are required to collect on the purposes for which prisoners are Released on Temporary Licence.

lord keen of elie: It is not possible, except at disproportionate cost, to establish the number of prisoners who have been released on ROTL to allow access to higher and further education in each of the last three years. There are four categories of ROTL: Resettlement Day Release (RDR), Resettlement Overnight Release (ROR), Special Purpose Licence (SPL) and Childcare Resettlement Licence (CRL). Prisons are required to record the reasons for each release on temporary licence choosing from the following options. They are not required to specify the level of education: (RDR) Education or Training(RDR) Paid Work - Retail and Wholesale(RDR) Paid Work – Manufacturing(RDR) Paid Work - Catering and hospitality(RDR) Paid Work - Transportation and storage(RDR) Paid Work - Construction and recycling(RDR) Paid Work - IT and communication(RDR) Paid Work - Agriculture and horticulture(RDR) Paid Work - Other(RDR) Unpaid Work - Retail and Wholesale(RDR) Unpaid Work – Manufacturing(RDR) Unpaid Work - Catering and hospitality(RDR) Unpaid Work - Transportation and storage(RDR) Unpaid Work - Construction and recycling(RDR) Unpaid Work - IT and communication(RDR) Unpaid Work - Agriculture and horticulture(RDR) Unpaid Work - Other(RDR) Prisoner Apprenticeships Pathway(RDR) Maintain Family Ties(RDR) Outside Prison Activities(RDR) Accommodation Related(RDR) Other RDR Linked to Sentence/Resettlement Plan(ROR) Resettlement Overnight Release(SPL) Funeral(SPL) Visit Dying Relative(SPL) Medical/Dental Inpatient Appointment(SPL) Medical/Dental Outpatient Appointment(SPL) Other Compassionate Reason(SPL) Court/Legal/Police/Prison Transfer(CRL) Childcare Resettlement Licence

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastics: Tourism

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the use of plastic by businesses in the tourism industry.

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in partnership with relevant businesses, to reduce the use of plastic bottles by tourists.

lord gardiner of kimble: Through the Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy for England, published in December last year, sets out our plans to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste from all sectors, including the tourism industry.We have already made good progress, banning microbeads, removing 15.6 billion plastic bags from circulation with our 5p charge, and committing to restrict the sale and/or distribution of plastic straws, drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds from April 2020.Furthermore, the 25 Year Environment Plan announced that water companies have been working to create a network of free water refill points across England. Defra is working with Water UK on this roll-out, which is managed by City to Sea. This Thursday 1 August, locations for the first 50 public drinking water foundations for London were announced, part of a £5 million scheme. In September last year, water companies in England published their plans for reducing single-use plastic bottles in their regions. Ministers have written to many retailers, coffee shops and transport hubs asking them to provide tap water, allowing the public to refill bottles. We are also working across Government, for example with the Department for Transport, to encourage transport premises to extend the provision of free water and to publicise this.

Drinking Water

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to introduce free drinking water fountains at (1) airports, (2) railway and bus stations, and (3) major tourist attractions.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government recognises the importance of making drinking water more readily available in public places, as a means of reducing single-use plastic bottles. As laid out in the 25 Year Environment Plan, and Resource and Waste Strategy we are already taking action in this area. Ministers have supported transport hubs, particularly railway stations and airports, to offer refill points. It is encouraging to see the positive response from Network Rail and rail operators. Around half of the UK's international airports have water fountains enabling customers to refill their own water containers. The Government is supporting water companies, high street retailers, coffee shops and transport hubs to offer new refill points for people to top-up water bottles for free in every major city and town in England. The water industry is developing a network of refill points through its Refill app, managed by City to Sea. The app signposts to over 20,000 free refill points and is estimated to save over 100 million single use bottles from entering our waste stream by the end of 2019.

Water Supply: Colne Valley

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of any risk posed by drilling near the contaminated land site at Newyears Green Bourne, including any associated risks such as the potential closure of the Blackford pumping station.

lord gardiner of kimble: The site adjacent to Newyears Green Bourne (between Harvil Road and Harefield No.2 Lake) where High Speed 2 (HS2) is to be constructed is not designated as ‘Contaminated Land’ under the Environmental Protection Act 1991 (EPA). However, the Newyears Green Lane landfill site, located 400 metres to the North East of the site adjacent to Newyears Green Bourne is ‘Contaminated Land’. HS2 have reviewed the potential for contamination to be present on the site adjacent to Newyears Green Bourne by referring to historic mapping, a site walkover and the sampling of groundwater. This investigation has not highlighted any previous activities likely to have caused contamination of the ground or the presence of any contamination attributable to activities on the site. HS2 contractors are currently assessing risks associated with test piling at this site as part of an application for approval under Schedule 33 of the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017. The Environment Agency will then review their risk assessment, which includes consideration of impacts on public water supply abstraction at Blackford pumping station.

Water Supply: Chilterns

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what risk management measures have been put in place to control the spread of contaminants into the mid-Chiltern aquifer since 2011.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Environment Agency (EA) risk-manages the spread of contaminants into the mid-Chiltern groundwater body using the CLR11/Land Contamination Risk Management framework, and the EA’s approach to groundwater protection. The EA agree voluntary remediation statements with relevant parties, and/or serve mandatory remediation notices under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA).The EPA also gives the EA the power to enforce and control emissions to groundwater which is part of the Water Framework Directive’s Thames River Basin Management Plan. The plan provides a detailed explanation of the management of both waste water, and pollution from towns, cities and transport. Measures include, but are not limited to:The EA issues environmental permits to protect the environment from pollutants.They work with the water industry to develop a long-term strategy for sewerage to prevent deterioration of permitted discharges.The EA and the Health and Safety Inspectorate enforce restrictions and bans on the use of certain chemicals.Local Government considers the impact on water quality in all aspects of planning and development.The EA uses anti-pollution works powers under the Water Resources Act 1991 to prevent or clean up small scale pollution, e.g. repairing misconnections.Industry, manufacturing and other business comply with existing regulations, e.g. Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 to make sure that chemicals are properly managed and surface water drainage is properly used and maintained.The EA and Highways England apply the memorandum of understanding agreement covering the strategic road network and remediation of high risk outfalls.The EA and Network Rail operate under the terms of a memorandum of understanding covering contaminated land, water discharge and use of pesticides.The EA and the water industry investigate and deal with misconnections, for example, through the National Misconnections Strategy group and in accordance with Defra’s diffuse urban action plan.Local Government works with industry, manufacturing and other business (Local Enterprise Partnerships), and non-governmental organisations (catchment partnerships and Local Nature Partnerships) to develop joint improvement programmes.

Water Supply: Ickenham

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the case for the Ickenham water pumping station to be reopened.

lord gardiner of kimble: No assessment has been made. The Environment Agency has not received any notification or supporting risk assessments from the water company regarding reopening the Ickenham water pumping station.

Water Abstraction

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a timetable has been set for the implementation of the water abstraction plan, published on 15 December 2017; and what progress has been made on that plan to date.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government’s report on the progress made in reforming the arrangements for managing water abstraction in England presented to Parliament in May 2019 included a timetable for completion of the water abstraction plan, which is progressing on schedule. The report is published and is attached.



Abstraction Reform Report 2019
(PDF Document, 3.35 MB)

Water: Pipelines

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many water leaks have been recorded by each water company in each of the last five years.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Environment Agency’s records for water company leakage are in the table:Total leakage Ml/d2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18Affinity Water178.70182.64179.57171.68173.92Anglian Water192.72192.00182.65184.72182.66Bristol Water43.6545.1144.2246.4246.64Cambridge Water12.7113.5313.2414.3214.39Essex & Suffolk Water58.3960.8662.4268.0866.17Northumbrian Water134.04136.79134.66133.82137.05Portsmouth Water29.5028.8528.0630.3732.87Bournemouth Water20.6720.5619.6319.1119.11Severn Trent Water441.00440.40429.39423.56445.52South East Water92.5692.4388.1188.6387.69South Staffordshire Water66.8869.2269.8869.8572.41South West Water84.0784.3683.7584.4088.13Southern Water84.5981.6983.9188.1188.16Sutton & East Surrey Water23.9324.1624.1724.3024.16Thames Water648.14657.39645.90667.84685.38United Utilities451.90453.89451.96439.34453.76Wessex Water69.3368.5768.3568.3567.68Yorkshire Water282.29288.32285.11295.17300.28England total2916.192941.892896.352918.072986.47 Water company leakage records for the last three years are published on the Discover Water website. This will shortly include leakage records for 2018-19.

Plastics: Compost

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to replace biodegradable plastic with compostable plastic.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government published a call for evidence on standards for bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. We want to gain a better understanding of the overall sustainability of these materials and whether product standards could provide reassurance of this. The call for evidence will run until 14 October and a Government response will be published taking the responses into account.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Cybercrime

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK was represented atthe EU28 meeting on cyber security standards on 25 June.

lord callanan: On this occasion, the UK was not invited, the government is seeking clarification.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Internet: Eating Disorders

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to block applications which publish content that may be harmful to children with eating disorders.

baroness barran: The government wants the UK to be the safest place in the world to go online. As set out in the Online Harms White Paper the government will take action to tackle content or activity that harms users, particularly children. Companies will be required to take robust action to address harmful content, including self-harm content which encourages eating disorders. Services must respond quickly to identify and remove content which is illegal or violates terms of use, and act swiftly and proportionately when this content is reported to them by users.

Tourist Attractions: Disability

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to improve the accessibility of tourist sites to wheelchair users and those with mobility impairments.

baroness barran: The recently published Tourism Sector Deal sets out Government’s support for improving tourism for visitors with accessibility requirements. Working with VisitBritain, we aim to improve the sharing of good practice across the sector, continue to provide excellent business support and promote our accessible tourism product. Additionally, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work has appointed a number of Sector Champions including Champions for Art and Culture, Hotels, Tourism and Countryside and Heritage. These champions use their influential status as leaders within their sectors to drive improvements to the accessibility and quality of services and facilities for disabled people. They also share good practice both widely within their sectors and with others.

Museums and Galleries

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to assist with the growth and viability of independent museums.

baroness barran: The museum sector in England is vibrant and dynamic, and has an impact on a wide variety of social outcomes including education, health and wellbeing, community cohesion and social inclusion. Independent museums are an important and successful part of the museums sector: around half of the museums accredited by Arts Council England are independent. In addition, the Association of Independent Museums estimates that they are visited by over 9 million people annually. Over the last ten years, museums have received over £800m annually from public sources. DCMS supports museums through Arts Council England, the museum sector development agency. Arts Council England funds some independent museums directly as National Portfolio Organisations, as well as supporting many projects run by them through its grants programmes and strategic funds. It also funds Sector Support Organisations and MuseumDevelopment organisations which can also assist independent museums. Independent museums are eligible for other public funding such as capital grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and support for permanent and temporary exhibitions through the Museums and Galleries tax relief introduced in 2017. The £4m 2018-20 round of DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund awarded 40% of its funding to independent museums.

Wearable Technology

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the (1) sale, and (2) use, of wearable GPS tracking devices for (a) use in connection with the care of dementia patients, and (b) other purposes, is regulated; and if so, by whom.

baroness barran: The sale of wearable GPS tracking devices, including where they are sold to assist with the care of dementia patients, is subject to UK consumer protection legislation. This legislation includes the Consumer Rights Act 2015 under which all goods and services must be of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. In addition, all personal data collected by GPS devices is subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 which is regulated by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). This legislation provides that any data collected must be processed transparently, fairly and for legitimate purposes. Companies developing new technologies which are likely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of data subjects are also required to complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment before the processing begins. In these instances, the company will be required to consult the ICO if their assessment indicates the processing would result in a high risk in the absence of any mitigating actions. As GPS tracking is used for a wide range of applications, there are also some cases where other regulations may apply. For example, Section B of the Bail Act 1997 includes provisions in respect of electronic monitoring of people on bail. The Government is committed to supporting the responsible use of technology to improve people's lives, including supporting its use to help vulnerable people like dementia patients. The Medical Research Council, the Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer's Research UK are jointly investing £290 million in the UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London which looks at technology solutions that can assist people with dementia in their homes. Our Industrial Strategy also includes the Ageing Society Grand Challenge through which the Government will invest in the further development of technologies like Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things with the aim that people can enjoy at least five extra healthy independent years of life by 2035. The Government also recognises the importance of ensuring that regulation is able to keep pace as technology advances. On 11th June, we published our White Paper on Regulation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The White Paper confirmed that the Government will establish a Regulatory Horizons Council to identify the implications of technological innovation and advise the government on regulatory reform needed to support its safe introduction.

5G

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to protect the UK’s future 5G infrastructure against cyberattacks.

baroness barran: The security and resilience of the UK's telecoms network is of paramount importance. Section 105a of the Communications Act 2003 requires telecoms operators to have appropriate measures in place to manage risks to the security of networks and services. The 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme has allocated £10 million to create capabilities where the security of 5G networks can be tested and proven, working with the National Cyber Security Centre. Furthermore, the Government has recently announced a strengthened security framework for 5G infrastructure following a thorough, evidence-based review of the 5G supply chain, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/819469/CCS001_CCS0719559014-001_Telecoms_Security_and_Resilience_Accessible.pdf. This raises the security bar through new, strengthened security requirements that will ensure telecoms providers meet new challenges as 5G technology evolves. It also sets out plans for a strengthened legislative and regulatory framework to enforce these requirements.